After a sunny, outdoor May concert, the Sequim City Band is gearing up for another blockbuster performance under blue skies at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 4. Under the direction of Tyler Benedict, the band will present “Clarion of Summer.” As the name implies, the pieces are all fanfares, overtures or other rousing announcements of summer.
The all-volunteer community musicians will take on the challenging “Orpheus Overture” by Jacques Offenbach. Audience members will surely recognize its most famous dance, the “Cancan.” Clarinetist Miles Vokurka is featured as a soloist.
Also featuring the entire clarinet section is “Clarinetics,” an aerobic and acrobatic exercise that Richard Meyer wrote to show off the musicality of the instrument.
“Strike Up the Band” by George and Ira Gershwin was composed for the movie in 1927 and revised in 1928 and 1930. The film was a satire on America’s taste for war. In 1940, a Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland film came out that shared the title song but otherwise had nothing to do with the previous movie. In 1936, the Gershwins gave the title piece to UCLA and it became one of the school songs.
“Bye Bye Birdie” by Strouse and Adams is a musical inspired by the drafting of Elvis Presley. It was a Tony award-winning Broadway show. This medley of songs includes “Put on a Happy Face,” “One Last Kiss” and “Kids” among others.
The “Invercargill March” by Alex Lithgow was named after the boyhood home of the composer in southern New Zealand. It has become one of the four most popular military marches in the world.
“Our Flirtations March” by J.P.Sousa may not be one of the other three but it stands on its own. Sousa was responsible for the incidental music for the musical of the same name.
The band always delights in showcasing special talents among its ranks. In Sammy Nestico’s “Persuasion,” saxophonist Bobbie Usselman gets to shine in this lush and lyrical piece. Nestico was staff arranger for the USAF and USMC bands and his compositions have been heard in over 60 television shows including “M*A*S*H” and “The Love Boat.”
Don’t forget lawn chairs, sun block and hats.
